Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A major fire broke out at a Kinetic electric vehicle (EV) showroom near Khalsa Chowk in the Lasudia area early on Friday morning, trapping around 12 residents living in the flats above.
Prompt action by neighbours, police, and the fire brigade prevented a tragedy, as all trapped individuals were successfully rescued.
A couple and their daughter were rescued from their building to a neighbouring building using ropes and makeshift ladders, at a height of 50 feet. Preliminary investigations suggest a short circuit triggered the blaze around 7:00 am.
Trapped by smoke and flames
The building owned by Krishnakant Singhal housed an EV showroom on the ground floor with nine residential flats on the upper floors that are used as homestays.
Most residents were fast asleep when the fire started. They woke up choking as thick black smoke engulfed their rooms. When residents looked outside, they saw massive flames erupting from the showroom.
The building's central staircase was positioned right next to the showroom and quickly became trapped in flames and dense smoke, cutting off the main exit.
The showroom contained dozens of electric two-wheelers and several e-rickshaws. The lithium-ion batteries in the vehicles might have accelerated the fire. Fortunately, the flames did not reach a vehicle repair garage at the back of the showroom, which contained flammable mechanics' oil.
According to the fire brigade, they received the call at 7:35 am. Firefighters used 14,000 litres of water and extinguished the flames within half an hour.
While the flats suffered heavy smoke damage, the fire itself was contained before it could burn domestic property.
Makeshift bridge made between 2 buildings for rescue ops
Upon receiving the alert, police personnel from Dial 112 and fire tenders from Sanwer Road and Gandhi Hall rushed to the spot. Local neighbours played a crucial role in the initial rescue efforts.
Neighbours and police climbed onto the roof of an adjacent vacant building. They threw ropes tied to window frames and angles across the gap between the buildings.
To rescue a family of three, including a girl on the fourth floor, locals connected iron ladders horizontally between the roofs of the two buildings, creating a makeshift bridge.
2 women enjoying morning rain notice smoke first
According to residents, two young women who had recently moved into the building were standing on their balcony, enjoying the early-morning rain, when they noticed smoke billowing from the showroom.
Their immediate screams alarmed the neighbourhood, allowing people to react quickly before the fire could spread further up the building.
"20 Minutes of Terror" - Standing on a 50-Foot Ledge
Bhanu Singh, a private college employee who lived on the rooftop flat with his family, narrated his harrowing experience, "We were asleep and woke up after hearing loud noises.
The smoke reached the rooftop, and it was so thick we couldn't even see the stairs. In absolute panic, I took my wife and nine-year-old daughter, Nisha, and climbed down onto a tiny concrete window ledge just below the roof."
The family stood balanced on the narrow ledge, which was around 50 feet above the ground, for 20 agonising minutes until rescuers stretched an iron ladder from the adjacent building to pull them to safety.
Singh added that his daughter was so traumatised by the incident that she had to be sent to a relative's house to recover.
Narrow escape through the smoke
Priyanka Dubey, an MBA student who had moved into her second-floor flat just 15 days prior, was woken up by shattering glass.
Neighbours were throwing stones at the windows to wake residents and break the glass, allowing the trapped smoke to escape.
Priyanka's two cousins, who lived in an adjacent flat, braved the blinding smoke to guide her down the dark staircase to safety.
